Among the conventionally-known vehicles are vehicles of a type, such as a hatchback type, which opens and closes an opening section of a rear panel by means of a tailgate (see for example Patent Literatures 1 to 3). A closed sectional member extending in the vehicle width direction is provided on the lower edge of the opening section, and thus, the rear panel has a high rigidity. Further, left and right rear damper houses for supporting left and right rear suspension dampers are provided on a rear part of the vehicle body.
Particularly, in the vehicle body disclosed in Patent Literature 1, left and right rear damper houses disposed in the interior of the vehicle are jointed at their rear ends directly to the opposite ends of the closed sectional member. Thus, bending rigidity, in the vehicle width direction, of the left and right rear damper houses can be increased by the closed sectional member extending in the vehicle width direction.
In recent years, development has been under way of techniques for even further increasing an overall rigidity of the vehicle body. In order to increase an overall rigidity of a rear part of the vehicle body, it is preferable that a load having been transmitted from the left and right rear suspension dampers to the left and right rear damper houses, particularly a load in the vehicle width direction, be further transmitted to the closed sectional member as efficiently as possible. However, because the left and right rear damper houses each comprises only a house comprises only a side plate and a top plate provided on the upper end of the side plate, there is a limit in efficiently transmitting the load in the vehicle width direction from the left and right rear suspension dampers to the closed sectional member. Besides, because the left and right rear damper houses are disposed in the interior of the vehicle, the vehicle would have a reduced interior space. In order to increase the interior space of the vehicle, further improvement has to be made.